Remark July 14, 2012 - Iran not only plays the name game in a simple way. We noticed that names were used double, in conjunction with the flag (of convenience) you may use the name more then once (and they do). Names appear to flip flop form one vessel to another. This all for one goal, to make identification not to easy and to pull wool over your eyes.

August 08, 2013 - NITC, Iran’s biggest tanker company, increased the capacity of its supertanker fleet by 23 percent this year amid sanctions related to the nation’s nuclear program that bar most of the world’s ships from carrying Iranian crude, according to IHS Maritime.

July 18, 2013 - A Swedish shipping company currently operates a tanker that has been exclusively making stops at Iranian oil ports and could potentially be carrying fuel to several Iranian military bases, according to several months of ship tracking data provided to the Washington Free Beacon by an Iran watchdog group.

Sweden’s Stockholm Chartering AB controls a ship that appears to exclusively run routes across Iran’s southern border in the Persian Gulf. Such deliveries would constitute a violation of U.S. and European sanction on Iran, according to the data provided by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a watchdog group that pressures American and European companies to cut economic ties with Tehran.

IMO 8316845 PERSIA - Chemical/Oil Products Tanker - Flag Togo

May 31, 2013 - Companies Sanctioned under Iran Sanctions Authorities

The Administration took action today under a variety of authorities against companies helping Iran to evade U.S. sanctions and doing illicit business with Iran.

Executive Orders 13622 and 13599:

The Administration imposed sanctions today under Executive Orders (E.O.) 13622 and 13599 on a series of companies related to Iran’s petrochemical industry. These actions underscore U.S. resolve to cut off funds from the Iranian petrochemical sector as the second largest revenue source for Iran’s illicit nuclear program.

The Department of State imposed sanctions on Jam Petrochemical Company and Niksima Food and Beverage JLT pursuant to E.O. 13622 for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase or acquisition of petrochemical products from Iran. Jam Petrochemical Company is an Iranian manufacturer and seller of petrochemicals. Niksima Food and Beverage JLT received payments on behalf of Jam Petrochemical Company. The sanctions selected for both companies prohibit: financial transactions subject to U.S. jurisdiction, transactions with respect to property and interests in property under U.S. jurisdiction, and foreign exchange transactions subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

In addition to these entities, the Department of the Treasury also identified eight Iranian petrochemical companies as owned or controlled by the Government of Iran.

Iran Sanctions Act and Executive Order 13608:

Also today, the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury took actions to impose sanctions, including a visa ban on corporate officers, on Ferland Company Limited (Ferland) under both the Iran Sanctions Act, as amended by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA), and Executive Order 13608 for efforts to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

In March 2013, Ferland and the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) cooperated in a scheme to sell Iranian crude oil deceptively in order to help Iran evade international sanctions. This operation involved a vessel owned by Dimitris Cambis, a Greek national sanctioned by the Department of State and identified by the Department of the Treasury in March 2013 (for more details on that action click here). The details of the ship-to-ship operations were arranged by a NITC manager and a representative of Ferland. Ferland later furnished a falsified certificate of origin as part of its cargo documentation, claiming that the crude oil loaded onto the Aldawha was a “product of Iraq.”

The sanctions imposed by the Department of State against Ferland prohibit: U.S. visas for corporate officers, loans from U.S. financial institutions, financial transactions subject to U.S. jurisdiction, transactions with respect to property and interests in property under U.S. jurisdiction, and foreign exchange transactions subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Separately, the sanctions imposed by the Department of the Treasury on Ferland generally prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with that entity.

Our decision makes clear the risks involved in helping Iran evade sanctions and reaffirms that the only relief Iran will get from sanctions must come through negotiations. Iran continues to ignore its international nuclear obligations, and the result of these actions has been an unprecedented international sanctions effort aimed at convincing Iran to change its behavior. The sanctions announced today represent an important step toward that goal, as they target the individual companies that help Iran evade these efforts.

These sanctions today send a stark message that the United States will act resolutely against attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Any business that continues irresponsibly to support Iran’s energy sector or to help facilitate the nation’s efforts to evade U.S. sanctions will face serious consequences.

Today, the United States imposed sanctions on Greek national Dr. Dimitris Cambis and Impire Shipping for disguising the Iranian origin of crude oil by concealing the control of a vessel by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). The United States also imposed sanctions on Kish Protection and Indemnity Club (Kish P&I), and Bimeh Markazi-Central Insurance of Iran (CII) for providing insurance or reinsurance to NITC. The Department of State is acting under the Iran Sanctions Act, as amended by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA), and the TRA. The United States imposed a visa ban on the corporate officers of Impire Shipping, Kish P&I, and CII identified as:

Impire Shipping:

Dimitris Cambis -President

Kish P & I:

Mohammad Reza Mohammadi Banaei – Managing Director

CII:

Seyed Mohammad Karimi – President

Rahim Mosaddegh – Vice President

Mina Sadigh Noohi – Vice President

Esmaeil Mahdavi Nia – Vice President

Seyed Morteza Hasani Aghda – Superintendent

The Department of the Treasury has also imposed sanctions against Cambis and entities under his control pursuant to its own separate authorities.

According to information available to the U.S. Government, Dr. Cambis, president of Impire Shipping, helped the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) obtain eight tankers in late 2012. While these vessels were purchased and are controlled by Dr. Cambis and Impire Shipping, they are operated on behalf of NITC. U.S. law prohibits knowingly owning or controlling a vessel that operates in a manner that conceals the Iranian origin of crude oil by obscuring or concealing the ownership, operation, or control of the vessel by NITC.

Kish P&I provides insurance for NITC, the main carrier of Iranian petroleum. Kish P&I is reinsured by CII, thus CII is providing reinsurance services for NITC. U.S. law provides for sanctions on persons knowingly providing insurance or reinsurance for NITC.

These sanctions make clear the risks involved in working on behalf of certain Iranian entities, and will further hamper Iran’s ability to circumvent sanctions. Iran is failing to meet its international nuclear obligations, and as a result there has been an unprecedented international sanctions effort aimed at convincing Iran to change its behavior. The sanctions announced today represent an important step toward that goal.

Today’s sanctions action sends a clear message: the United States will act resolutely against attempts to circumvent U.S. sanctions. Moreover, any business that continues to support Iran’s energy sector, enable the movement of its oil tankers or facilitate Iran’s efforts to evade U.S. sanctions could face serious consequences.

Dimitris Cambis bought eight very large crude carriers, or VLCCs to carry Middle East crude to Asia, flatly denied doing any business with Tehran or running clandestine shipments of its oil to China He denied his vessels have loaded oil from Iran while at anchor in the Gulf. Known as ship-to-ship transfers, or STS, such movements are hard to track as crews can switch off tracking beacons or not update their recorded positions for periods to conceal that one vessel has come alongside another. Could be fronting for NITC.

Today’s identifications include four front companies for the Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO) or the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) -- Petro Suisse Intertrade Company SA; Hong Kong Intertrade Company; Noor Energy (Malaysia) Ltd.; and Petro Energy Intertrade Company. NICO intended to use Petro Energy Intertrade to evade western sanctions. The Treasury Department identified NICO and NIOC, both of which are centrally involved in the sale of Iranian oil, in 2008 as entities that are owned or controlled by the Government of Iran.

The Treasury Department is also identifying today the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) as a Government of Iran entity and, for the first time, the NITC fleet and various front companies belonging to NITC. In addition, the Treasury Department is also identifying 20 Iranian financial institutions for inclusion on its List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List).

These identifications highlight Iran’s attempts to evade sanctions through the use of front companies, as well as its attempts to conceal its tanker fleet by repainting, reflagging, or disabling GPS devices. They will assist U.S. persons in complying with E.O. 13599, and will also assist persons and entities around the world in complying with U.S. and international sanctions, including the European Union’s prohibition on the import of Iranian oil that went into effect on July 1, 2012.

Hong Kong Marine Department's shipping register said the department had told four owners had given instructions that they were leaving the Hong Kong shipping register.
The department gave the shipowners 90 days' notice to find an alternative flag state in a letter on November 9.
The owners who were sent the letters included Eternal Expert, which is the registered owner of the Alias, a 43,309 deadweight tonne handysize dry cargo ship.
Eternal Expert operates through Tehran-based Rahbaran Omid Darya Ship Management, which also manages 15 other Hong Kong-flagged ships. All are handysize vessels, specialising in carrying minor bulk cargoes such as fertilisers, ores and timber, and were built between 1984 and 1986.

October 22, 2012 - Vessels under management of ANDULENA CORP - name changes & most likely sailing under Tanzanian / Zanzibar flag, which could be fake

IMO 9193202 - ARVIN - Bulk

IMO 9193214 - DORSAN - Bulk

IMO 9226956 - HAMADAN - Bulk

October 22, 2012 - Vessels under management of HAFIZ DARYA SHIPPING CO - name changes & most likely sailing under Tanzanian / Zanzibar flag, which could be fake

IMO 9270646 - SHIBA - Container Ship

IMO 9270658 - SHAMIM - Container Ship

October 21, 2012 - Name changes of NITC vessels, most likely sailing under Tanzanian / Zanzibar flag, which could be fake

IMO 9187667 - CHRISTINA (since 01-10-2012)

IMO 9079078 - VOYAGER (since 01-10-2012)

IMO 9357353 - BAIKAL (since 01-10-2012)

IMO 9569205 - CARNATION (since 01-10-2012)

IMO 9079080 - MARIGOLD (since 01-10-2012)

IMO 7823920 - OCEANIC (since 01-02-2003)

IMO 9212890 - SCORPIAN (since 01-10-2012)

Source: Bloomberg / Forbes

September 20, 2012 - UANI Calls on Moldova to Stop Reflagging Iranian Vessels - As the international community imposes a shipping blockade against the Iranian regime, Moldova has stepped in and been extensively reflagging Iranian vessels. Moldova has reflagged as many as 11 vessels owned, managed, or operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its affiliated entities, at the same time that nations such as Sierra Leone, Tuvalu and Tanzania have made the responsible decision to stop flagging such vessels. UANI is now calling on Moldova to join, not counteract, the international effort to isolate the Iranian regime. UANI has also notified Moldova that it is risking being sanctioned and/or jeopardizing its trade relations with the U.S. Source & continue reading at: Maritime Executive News Item

September 17, 2012 - Titan Tankers Hiding Iranian Oil in Malaysia (Labuan). The Lantana, a tanker operated by the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC), transferred around 1 million barrels of crude oil to the Titan Ruchira, a floating storage vessel, off the tiny tropical island of Pulau Kuraman near Labuan, port and shipping industry officials said. Though such transfers are not technically illegal, Reuters say the dead-of-night transfer of oil in the South China Sea illustrates the lengths to which Iran will go to keep exporting its oil to skirt Western sanctions. Source & continue reading at: Ship & Bunker News Item

August 23, 2012 - The rogue state of Iran has over recent months been quietly packing its bags and moving its ships and shell companies out of Malta, where it has set up something of a temporary sanctions-busting base within the country’s shipping register and registry of companies.

Iran has had something of a sanctions-evading holiday in Malta over recent years and in the process the situation, which has been highlighted several times by major international news outlets, has caused the country’s good reputation a great deal of harm in a number of ways. Source & continue reading at: Malta Independent OnLine

DUBAI: Iran has given new English names and changed the flags of many of its oil tankers, two of which are steaming toward Europe with an EU ban on Iranian oil imports just a week away, ship tracking data shows.

The Haraz is now Freedom, Nesa has transformed into Truth, and Sima has become Blossom. At least a third of oil tanker operator National Iranian Tanker Company’s ships have registered with the pacific atolls of Tuvalu and also Tanzania after dropping their Maltese and Cypriot flags.

NITC is not subject to U.N. sanctions, but with Malta and Cyprus coming under increased EU pressure to stop flagging Iranian government-linked ships, NITC has hoisted flags from Tuvalu on at least 11 of its 39 oil tankers, while Tanzanian flags fly above at least two.

Merchant ships need a flag from national ship registries to gain access to most of the world’s ports.

According to ship tracking data on Reuters, two of the tankers, now called Pioneer and Elite, were heading through the Red Sea toward Europe on Sunday, where a ban on buying Iranian oil comes into effect on July 1.

NITC declined to comment.

U.N.-sanctioned sister company the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines frequently changes the names of its cargo vessels in an attempt to conceal their connection to IRISL, which Washington and the EU suspect helps transport military equipment for Iran.

Only three of the 15 NITC vessels whose onboard ship position transmitters are showing as switched on have not changed their names yet.

April 19, 2012 - The Star Online.com on April 18, 2012 released the following:

(Reuters) – Fifteen vessels linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) have hoisted new Bolivian flags in February and March in the latest move in a long-running sanctions dodge.

IRISL frequently changes the names of the vessels and companies that it registers them under, forcing the U.S. government to constantly update its list of sanctioned companies and vessels. But the vessels’ previous names can be traced using their International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers.

Reuters cross-checking of those numbers reveals that all the vessels or their owners are listed on the U.S. weapons of mass destruction proliferators (NPWMD) list of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Below are details of the vessels registered by Bolivia since early February, using the names of the vessels as they appear on the Bolivian register. The ownership of the vessels is that which matches the IMO numbers found on the OFAC website:

MT TOUR – Suezmax crude oil carrier, IMO: 9364112. Owned by IRISL subsidiary ISIM Tour Limited. Previously flagged by Malta but registered by Bolivia on March 27, 2012, with Auris Marine Company as its owner. It dropped anchor near Bandar Abbas in mid April after loading up with Syrian crude oil at the end of March.

ISI OLIVE – Oil tanker, IMO: 9003237. Owned by IRISL subsidiary ISIM Olive Limited. Previously flagged by Malta but registered by Bolivia on March 26, 2012 with Auris Marine Company as its owner. Anchored near Bandar Abbas in April.

AMIN – Very large crude carrier (VLCC), IMO: 9422366. Owned by IRISL subsidiary ISIM Amin Limited. Previously flagged by Malta but registered by Bolivia on March 27, 2012 with Auris Marine Company as its owner. Anchored near Bandar Abbas.

DORITA – General cargo ship, IMO 8605234. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on February 2, 2012 with the Andulena Corporation as its owner. Andulena is registered on Majuro, according to Lloyds List, one of the tiny coral atolls that make up the Marshall Islands in the pacific.

ELICIA – General cargo ship, IMO 9165839. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Malta but registered by Bolivia on February 2, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

EVITA – General cargo ship, IMO 9165827. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Malta but registered by Bolivia on February 2, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

VALERIAN – General cargo ship, IMO 9051650. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on February 2, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

CELESTINA – Bulk carrier, IMO 9213399. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on February 23, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

EGLANTINE – Bulk carrier, IMO 9193202. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on February 23, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner. The Iranian navy rescued the Brazilian sugar laden vessel from Somali pirates who hijacked it in the Indian Ocean in March.

BLANCA – General cargo, IMO: 9167289. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on March 16, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

CARMELA – Bulk Carrier, IMO: 9193185. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on March 16, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

CATALINA – General cargo, IMO: 9167291. Owned by IRISL. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on March 16, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

CONSUELO – Bulk carrier, IMO: 9213387. Owned by IRISL and sanctioned under the U.S. NPWMD blacklist. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on March 16, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

ELVIRA – Bulk carrier, IMO: 9369722. Owned by IRISL and sanctioned under the U.S. NPWMD blacklist. Previously flagged by Cyprus but registered by Bolivia on March 16, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

GABRIELA – Container ship, IMO: 9209336. Owned by IRISL and sanctioned under the U.S. NPWMD blacklist. Previously flagged by Malta but registered by Bolivia on March 16, 2012 with Andulena Corporation as its owner.

(Source: The Star Online)

Staff at state shipping agency admit to changing ships' names, owners, and even paintwork to evade sanctions.

- By MEHRAFARIN BAHRAMI in Tehran (19 Mar 2011)

The tall building occupied by Iran's shipping agency looks a lot different from other government offices in Tehran. Instead of ideological symbols, the dominant theme here is nautical -- anchors, lanterns, and sails. The staff, too, look different. There are more smart suits, ironed collars, and well-shaven faces around.

The general air of tidiness reflects the seriousness with which Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, IRISL, goes about its business. With a commercial fleet of 169 ships carrying nearly a third of Iranian exports and imports, the firm is the dominant player in Iran by a long stretch, although there are a number of private shipping companies as well.

Staff at IRISL see themselves as waging a full-scale, if hidden, international war to circumvent international sanctions and keep the freight moving.

In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department placed IRISL on its sanctions list on the grounds that its vessels were carrying military freight. Then it was barred from taking out insurance and loans in London, and finally, last year, the United Nations Security Council approved a new set of sanctions which included the right to inspect, confiscate and, where necessary, destroy the freight.

The U.N. resolution provoked a strong reaction from Tehran, where parliament instructed the government to mete out equal treatment to ships belonging to states that inspect Iranian vessels, and to provide naval protection to commercial shipping where necessary.

If you are looking for up-to-date information, please look at Vesseltracker
or Equasis (note: both are more or less open source databases)

IMO identification number scheme

The IMO ship identification number scheme was introduced in 1987 through adoption of resolution A.600(15), as a measure aimed at enhancing "maritime safety, and pollution prevention and to facilitate the prevention of maritime fraud". It aimed at assigning a permanent number to each ship for identification purposes. That number would remain unchanged upon transfer of the ship to other flag(s) and would be inserted in the ship's certificates. When made mandatory, through SOLAS regulation XI/3 (adopted in 1994), specific criteria of passenger ships of 100 gross tonnage and upwards and all cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage and upwards were agreed.